


Eyes Wide Open

by pocketcucco



Category: Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-22
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2017-12-12 14:45:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/812756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocketcucco/pseuds/pocketcucco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The masks and the carnival were what brought them together. What they didn't know was that those two very same things would eventually tear them apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Dotour and Aroma were an odd couple, to say the least. The husband was meek and quiet, never one to speak out of turn; that is, if he decided to speak at all. Meanwhile, his wife - who'd supposedly been raised in the  _western_ part of town and made herself a regular customer at the milk bar, if the rumors were true - was quite the social butterfly, fluttering from one end of a party to the next with no difficulty in the slightest. Dotour would either hover in a corner or follow his wife like a forlorn puppy, never once uttering a word.

And yet this unlikely couple was the closest thing a small place like Clock Town had to nobility, what with the vast fortune Dotour had inherited from his family. It was also said that the man had a smart head on his shoulders, despite his shyness; something he would prove when he was eventually elected mayor of the town.

But that wouldn't happen for many more years.

Anju knew her mother had harbored a great disdain for the two for as far back as she could remember. Although the Stock Pot was a rather successful cafeteria and inn, they didn't make nearly as much money as Dotour and his wife, who had risen easily from obscurity and were thrust into the public spotlight.

"It's not that I  _want_ the same attention," Anju had once overhead her mother telling her father late one evening. "I just don't think it's fair, you know? People like them."

"As long as we're happy," Tortus would always reply - he was never one to gossip. "And I am happy."

Anju didn't care about Dotour and Aroma either way. She had too much to think about, what with the chores that needed to be done around the Stock Pot. From time to time, when they both had a spare moment, her father would try to teach her to cook, but she had little interest in that. She preferred to spend her playtime at the laundry pool, where she could play to her heart's content and without interruption.

She saw Dotour and Aroma's son there once, on a rainy day in the middle of fall. He was easy to spot, even from a distance; he had the same deeply purple hair as his father. The boy was sitting at the pool's edge with a friend of his, talking while they threw bits of food to the fish that swam there.

She recognized their uniforms - they were Bombers. Mother told her often not to speak to the Bombers, even if they did call themselves 'allies of justice'. (Mother was so suspicious sometimes.)

So Anju turned and left, and didn't see him again for a long time. Not for another year.

It was the first night of the carnival, and one of the few times of the year that she was allowed to stay up far past her bedtime. She didn't recognize him right away, since everyone in attendance wore a mask; which wasn't mandatory, but an unspoken rule that the entire town followed. To arrive to the carnival without a mask was...simply strange, to say the least. Even the tourists wore their own. Anju herself had spent the better part of the year crafting hers until it resembled one of the fairies that sometimes fluttered about in the fields just beyond the town's gates.

There was dancing in the main square, at the base of the massive clock that gave the town its name. Anju could see her own parents flitting back and forth in the multicolored lights of the fireworks, as well as the infamous Dotour and Aroma. Tonight, however, her mother was too content to shoot them any looks. Anju had even caught her exchanging pleasantries with Aroma at the carnival's start.

Anju stood off to the side, sipping a cup of warm cider while she watched the adults dance to and fro. Part of her wanted to join in the fun, but what was the point in dancing alone? She'd rather drop dead than humiliate herself like that.

It was then that a voice - small and timid - managed to rise above the sounds in the square.

"Um...hello."

She turned.

And found herself face-to-face with a Keaton.

The Keaton with the voice of a boy held out his hand.

"Do you want to dance?"

_Who are you?_  she almost asked. But she took his hand instead, and he pulled her gently into the crowd.

Neither of them were very good. That much was apparent from the start, when he pinched her toes and she nearly pushed him over. Their twirls were clumsy, their steps wavering - but it was difficult to be cross when they were surrounded by the warm laughter of the crowd and the bright lights of the fireworks.

Truth be told, it was the most fun Anju had had in a long time, even if her feet would be sore for days after.

"Where did you get your mask?" she suddenly asked, when the sounds and lights began to dim.

"From a friend of mine. I like Keatons."

"My grandma's told me stories about them. Have you seen one before?"

"I heard they're not real... But I think they are. I want to see one someday."

She smiled, even though he couldn't see it. "Me too."

They danced only for a while longer before they parted at the edge of the square. Anju could see her parents beckoning to her. It was time to go.

It was too soon, she thought. She'd just barely met this boy, and he seemed so nice.

"What's your name?" she asked, shyly wringing her hands at her front. "I'm Anju."

The boy lifted his mask, ever so slightly. His eyes were the warmest shade of red, his smile soft and boundlessly friendly. She recognized him instantly as Dotour and Aroma's boy, and the one she'd seen at the laundry pool that day back in the fall.

"I'm Kafei," he said, still grinning.

And she wanted nothing more than to see him again.


	2. Dawn of the First Day, 72 Hours Remain

When Kafei woke that morning, he was still bound to the body of a child.

He thought he'd be used to it by now, nearly a month after his encounter with that masked forest imp (since when did they start wandering out of the woods?), though he'd also hoped beyond hope that he'd be back to normal.

But still. There was nothing he could do for now. He'd resigned himself to that fact a long time ago.

Kafei pushed himself off his borrowed cot and blinked the sleep from his eyes. The room behind the Curiosity Shop - his current home - was cold in these early morning hours, and he hurried to change into his longer-sleeved clothing. He'd just started brushing a hand through his hair when he heard Tak bustling around from the front of the shop.

"This place is a mess," his friend muttered under his breath as he pushed a side door open. His arms were full to bursting with the new valuables he'd..."obtained" from his overnight business, and he nudged a few boxes out of the way with the heel of his shoe.

Kafei folded his arms over his chest. "Any news?"

"Nothin' yet. You'll be the first to know, like I promised."

It was an exchange they'd shared nearly every morning since his transformation, but Kafei still couldn't help but sigh. His disappointment was quickly giving way to anxiety now that the carnival was so close - only three days away, and he was still stuck in this body and his wedding mask was still gone.

"Soon, though," Tak said, like he did every day. "I have a good feeling. That guy always crawls back eventually."

"He stole the mask  _weeks_ ago. Shouldn't he have tried to sell it to you by now?"

"I dunno. Maybe he's keeping it as a trophy for a bit before he caves. But the carnival's coming up, and he probably thinks he can get a better price for it. Demand's gonna be high 'n all."

"Unless the moon  _does_  fall-"

"Don't talk like that. That thing ain't falling," Tak said, in a voice that invited no argument. He threw his newest purchases in a nearby crate and dusted off his hands. "I'll keep an eye out for your mask, just in case he sells it to someone else. What'd it look like again?"

"It was gold, and made to look like the sun. Two eyes, and-"

"Ah, yeah, I remember now."

Kafei tried not to roll his eyes. Tak was a good friend - the only one he'd kept from childhood, aside from...her - but he was exasperating more often than not.

Tak seemed to take note of this, however, and reached down to squeeze Kafei's shoulder. His expression was oddly serious now.

"You'll get it back before the carnival. It'll turn up," he promised. "But, you know... There's probably more to do than just wait for the thief to turn up. You're startin' to remind me of your-"

"Of my father. I know."

Tak gave an approving nod, but Kafei felt his stomach turn.  _You're starting to remind me of your father._ Indecisive, confused, sitting back and waiting for things to happen.

But Tak wasn't finished. "You're a man of action. Remember when we were kids, and we spent all our time fillin' out those stupid notebooks? A lot of those little jobs were your idea."

"I know. I...think I have an idea. I'm just-"

"You're just...?"

_Afraid. Nervous._ But he couldn't speak the words. He wouldn't. So Kafei stopped, shook his head.

"It's not really important. The Trading Post opens soon, doesn't it? You should go."

Tak peeked out the back door and grunted. "You're right. I'd better head out. Good luck today," he said before he left. He all but slammed the door on his way out, sending one of the more precariously-placed crates crashing to the floor. Kafei stayed on the cot and watched an empty bottle and several glass balls roll across the wooden boards.

Kafei let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Could they really find his wedding mask? There was so little time left...only three days now, and the clock was ticking. He was sure he'd have the mask and his body back by now, but weeks had passed and...nothing. No sign of his mask's thief, and rare sightings of the Skull Kid who'd gone and changed everything.

Tak was right, though. He had to do something, anything - the inaction was making him anxious to the point that he felt his legs and fingers twitch. He wanted to go out and solve the problems himself, even though he knew that was quite impossible with his current body. If the wrong person saw him...

He shook his head, dismissing the thought. Things would be fine. He just had to be careful.

Kafei reached under his cot. The letter he'd written the night before was still there, safe and sound. He ran his hand over the smooth envelope, over the name written in careful ink on its surface. He whispered it out loud, just to himself, in the dusty silence of the backroom. He hadn't spoken her name in  _so long_ , just the sound of it sent a pleasant shiver up his spine.

He had to see her again. To speak to her. To hold her in his arms and press his lips to the gentle curve where her throat met her shoulder.

Today, he'd finally take matters into his own hands.

Kafei donned his old Keaton mask and darted out the back door before he could change his mind.

* * *

Mother was on a rampage again.

"I'm going to have to kick half of them out, I think," she said as saying while Anju shuffled through a neat stack of inn-related documents. "I was awake all night because of that stupid instrument. And those two twins dancing until early morning. Don't any of them sleep?"

"I can ask them later, if you'd like," Anju offered, mostly to shut her up. She loved Mother - she really, truly did - but sometimes, her nerves wore thin and she couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh, don't trouble yourself. dear. I can take care of it. Just make sure you get lunch to your grandmother. She's getting so  _skinny_. Does she eat when you ask her to?"

Oh, right. It was her turn to cook - or at least attempt to - today. Anju shut her eyes and tried not to scream.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

"Good. Very good." Mother checked her hair in the mirror, patting it gently with one hand. "I have a lot to take care of today, but I'll be back before late. I trust you can handle things on your own?"

"Of course."

Anju took her place at the front desk after Mother left. It was a surprisingly dull morning, despite the fact that the carnival was just around the corner; less than three days now, to be precise, but Anju tried her best not to think about it. It brought on too many memories - some good, but mostly bad - at the moment, and she had to stay focused for potential customers.

Still, only a few people came through the doors that morning. The first was a boy, who claimed the last reserved room under the name of Link (who let their young child stay in an inn by himself, anyway? Anju was curious, but sometimes it was best not to ask). Later a Goron trudged through, only to be disappointed by the lack of rooms.

It was slow work, all in all, but it kept her mind busy and she wished there was more of it to keep her from thinking about...certain things. And, try as she might, she couldn't stop herself; she thought about the upcoming carnival, about a certain promise, about a tall, red-eyed man with surprisingly soft hands and softer words.

_In three days, I was getting married._ Am _getting married,_ she amended. There was still time for him to show up. He would. This was Kafei, after all, and he'd never broken a promise without good reason.

(Though there was that time when they were still teenagers, and they'd just recently broken up, and he left for the Romani Ranch-)

She stopped that line of thought before it could finish.

Anju glanced at the clock on the wall beside her, and although it was just barely noon, she decided to work on her grandmother's lunch. There were no rooms left for customers anyway, and if she stood at that desk any longer, she'd go absolutely crazy. Mother would understand.

She left her post and threw all her concentration into the kitchen - she was going to need it anyway, with her skill level. Anju sighed as she opened the cupboards. Father had tried so hard to teach her how to cook before he disappeared, but none of his skill had rubbed off on her or Mother. She wondered what he'd think of the Stock Pot now that it was an inn and no longer his beloved cafeteria. Could he still be proud of her? She thought he might, but there was always that niggling doubt in the back of her mind.

She rifled through the supplies, setting aside a few vegetables to be washed and chopped before she came across the cucco leftovers from the day before. Anju picked them up delicately, but still, she shuddered until they was laying on the countertop. Something - she was never sure what - about cuccos gave her the goosebumps. She remembered visiting her friend Cremia at the Romani Ranch as a small child and flinging one of the birds out of her hands when the red-headed girl handed it to her.

A gentle smile crossed her face. It was instinctive; she didn't even think about it.  _Kafei teases me about that all the time_.

And then the knife stopped in midair. Her hands shook. She let her arm drop down to the counter, where it brushed an untidy pile of carrot slices.

Stop thinking about him. No more. Focus on the task at hand.

She picked up the knife again and continued to chop. She thought about vegetables and tried her best to keep her strokes even and clean.

A simple meal took little time for her to prepare. Grandmother didn't eat much anymore; this cucco and vegetable soup would probably be a bit more than she could handle, if she decided to eat at all. Still, Anju prepared a nice platter and carried it to her grandmother's room.

_Kafei loves this soup_ , she thought before she could stop herself,  _so long as I'm not the one preparing it._

That gave her pause. She shook her head as if to dispel it, and tried to collect herself before she opened the bedroom door.

The old woman was seated by her fire with a book in her lap. It was the same one she'd read and re-read since Tortus's disappearance (Anju barely let herself dwell on that) and death. Even from where she was standing, Anju could see the colorful illustrations of the Giants. She remembered a time when her grandmother had told her that story, over and over again.

Grandmother didn't even look up. "Oh, Tortus," she said with the smallest of sighs. "I've already had lunch."

"Grandmother... I'm Anju! Tortus was my dad. Your son. Remember? And you haven't had lunch yet. I just made this."

Anju held up the plate, like a peace offering. But, as always, Grandmother was having none of it.

"I've already had lunch, dear. Now take that away."

"Not eating is bad for you. Please eat..."

Her grandmother heaved a sigh and slammed her book shut. "Didn't I say that I already ate, Tortus? Impossible child!"

_I shouldn't be surprised_ , Anju told herself, but she felt the exasperation wash over her anyway. Fine, then. If Mother was upset, then she could come down and feed her in-law herself. Anju swept out of the room, muttering a quick, "Don't eat my food. I give up," before she left.

She could have sworn she heard Grandmother's sigh of relief just before she closed the door. Anju shook her head and carried the tray up to her and Mother's bedroom. Who was the impossible child now?

The front door opened and closed while she was still at the top of the stairs.

"Miss Anju! A letter for you!"

The postman. Hope soared in her chest before she could stop it. It was probably something from a customer trying to get a late reservation, she told herself, even though those sorts of letters were usually addressed to her mother. Or maybe it was from Cremia. Or-

The postman was holding the envelope out to her when she reached the bottom of the stairs. She took it with barely trembling hands and read over the address.

There was her name, plain and simple. But the curl of the letters, the slightly uneven scrawl, the curve of the first symbol in her name...

"Ah!" she squeaked before she could stop herself. "Uh, um, what's this?"

"I have delivered this to you!"

"Wait! This, this letter...where did you-"

"From the postbox."

Anju could barely suppress the excitement in her voice. "I know that! The postbox where? Which part of town?"

"From the postbox somewhere."

How could he be so calm? Her hands curled around the envelope, holding it close to her chest. Her breath was coming in frantic hitches and starts now.

"That's not what I mean! Please tell me! You must know how important it is that-"

"It's a secret."

"I must know! Please!"

But the postman was shaking his head. "Privacy is very important. I cannot tell you where it came from."

"Please... I must find out, please..."

"I'm sorry, Miss Anju. I have to finish my route now, before it gets too late. Time is of the essence, and we don't have much of it!" He tipped his hat, gave her a quick bow, and turned to leave. "Good afternoon, Miss Anju!"

"But..."

He wasn't listening anymore. The postman left, and the lobby fell silent again, save for the tick of the clock and the gentle murmurings of the guests on the second floor.

For the moment, she was alone. Alone with this letter and the ghost of its writer.

She held the envelope up again, studied it in the lobby's fluttering lights. It was his handwriting on the front; she knew this absolutely. She had dozens of letters covered with the same scrawl, all piled neatly in the box beneath her mattress. If she closed her eyes and really thought about it, she could even recite a few of them from memory.

This was, quite possibly, the most important letter she'd ever received in her life. She had to open it. But when she put her fingers to the seal, she found that she couldn't. And why? After so many days of waiting, so much time left to worry and to cry... The envelope should have been in shreds on the floor by now.

She slipped her nails beneath the seal. She started to pull.

But she still couldn't do it.

Something was stopping her. It gathered in her chest, heavy and coiled and hot. It taunted her.

Anju set the letter aside, blinking tears from the corners of her eyes. She wiped uselessly at them with the heel of her hand, but now that they'd started, she knew they wouldn't stop.

The letter stared up at her from the counter. "Please just come home," she murmured, half to herself and half to that ghost.

The door opened again, and she quickly stuffed the envelope down the pocket at the front of her dress.

"Hello," she started, voice cracking, "and welcome to the Stock Pot-"

The words died in her throat.

A boy entered, holding a mask in his hand. The face was white and the eyes were hollow, but the hair surrounding them was that familiar shade of purple. Looking at it made her feel as though she'd been kicked in the stomach.

"Um," she said. The boy's gaze was expectant, but soft. He didn't say a word; he only held up the mask.

Anju had seen it a few times before. Madame Aroma had a handful made after her son's disappearance, and distributed them throughout the town in lieu of posters. Anju wasn't sure if they were more effective or not, but seeing people wearing them - seeing that familiar hair all over the town - was, for a time, far too much to bear. Mother had put an end to it, though; and not for the first time, Anju was glad for her sharp tongue.

But it looked like one of the masks had survived, and now it was in the hands of this child.

Still...something about him wasn't quite... _childish._ She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"How did you get that? Are you...are you looking for Kafei?" Anju asked, in spite of her misgivings. The boy nodded, and she wiped at her eyes again.

"Really? Oh, I thought..." But she stopped herself, took a slow breath. The letter was heavy in her pocket. "Never mind. I... I have a request. I might have a clue...about Kafei...that'll help you find him. If you could - if you have time - could you come to the kitchen tonight? Around midnight? We'll talk then... Now's not a good time."

The boy studied her for a beat with those blue eyes of his. He nodded again, still without speaking. He couldn't have been, what, more than ten or eleven years old? And yet there was something almost unnaturally serious about him. And something...warm. Yes, that was it.

Somehow, someway, Anju didn't feel quite as afraid as she did before.


	3. Night of the First Day, 60 Hours Remain

Anju didn't remove the letter from her pocket again until after the sun had set. She took her time with the end of the day chores, putting unusual care into filing away the reservation book and closing up the kitchen. She checked on her grandmother (who was still awake, surprisingly) before she took the steps up to the second floor slowly, one at a time, listening to their gentle, wooden creaks in the nighttime silence. The clock downstairs inched its way closer to midnight. Closer to her meeting.

But she had to read Kafei's letter first. She had to come up with a clue to give that blue-eyed boy.

Her and her mother's room was blessedly empty. Anju shut the door behind her and sat on the edge of her bed. Crickets chirped outside her window as she pulled the envelope from her dress with shaky fingers.

She took a quiet breath. There it was again, in the palms of her hands. His handwriting.  _His_. He'd written this, just for her. He was still alive, and he was still thinking of her. Anju's fingers curled around the envelope, held it closer.

 _The news in this letter could still be bad_ , the voice in the back of her head chided. But Anju pushed it away. Those were things she didn't want to hear. Not right now, when he seemed so close. Closer than he'd been in weeks.

She curled her fingertips around the envelope's seal. No more fear. No more apprehension. Without really thinking about it, she ran her nails beneath the seal, breaking it before she had a chance to stop herself.

Folded paper poked out of the envelope. Anju's breath caught in the back of her throat. She took it gingerly and held it in the palms of her hands.

She only had to glance over the handwriting to know it was from him. There was no doubt about it. She traced a finger over the symbols, imagined him scrawling them out by weak candlelight.

She read the letter, hungrily taking in each sentence, each word. It confirmed that he was still alive. He was okay. That alone filled with a strange sort of peace that she hadn't felt in over a month.

But it also said he couldn't come back home yet; not until he'd completed one last task before the wedding.

Still. He wasn't dead. Only missing. She set the letter on her lap and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

But there was something else in his letter. He'd mentioned a change - he didn't say what specifically - but it was enough to put him in hiding for over a month. What could have happened that scared him that badly? Kafei was never scared... He was always the brave one, the one willing to smash the spiders and walk her home in the dark of night.

Anju wanted desperately to write a response, to tell him how happy she was and that she wanted to see him. That everything would be okay, and they could put the wedding off for another year if he needed. But, thanks to the postman, she had no address, nowhere to send it. So she stared down at the letter, willing her good intentions to Kafei, wherever he might be.

No. Wait. Maybe that blue-eyed boy knew something. Maybe that was why he showed up when he did - right after the postman. Maybe he knew something that she didn't...

Anju immediately jumped from her bed, grabbed a pen and slip of paper from her desk. She wrote fervently, pouring everything she wanted to say out onto the paper, pausing only to re-read a few passages and cross others out. She made sure to mention the boy as well; perhaps Kafei would be more willing to meet with him, a stranger, than her.

But, mostly, she didn't want to admit that she was afraid to meet with him. Afraid to see what he'd become. Afraid to see who he might be with.

In the end, her own letter was a complete mess of scribbles and cucco-scratch; but it didn't matter. Not anymore. All that mattered now was that he'd get her response. She set the pen aside and folded her note into squares.

Someone was pounding up the stairs. At first Anju dismissed it as a patron returning late to their room - but she knew those steps.

Mother.

She was still sliding her own envelope and Kafei's back in her dress pocket when Mother came through the door.

"Good evening," Anju managed with a weak smile.

But Mother was having none of it. She nodded to Anju's hands, still poised over the pocket. "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to your mother."

"I..." But Mother's gaze was too hard. Too demanding. She stepped forward and took Kafei's envelope from Anju's hands.

"Mother, please, that's mine-"

But she'd already seen the signature. Her brow furrowed and she made a noise crossed somewhere between a growl and a snarl.

"This had better be an apology," she said, furious. "Is he finally apologizing to you? Did he tell you where he's run off to?"

"No, but-"

"Then ignore it. Don't respond to it. Don't go looking for him."

Anju's hands tightened into fists. "I have to. I'm...I can't give up on him. Mother, I-"

"You love him. I know."

Her mother seemed to weaken then. Something inside her folded, and her anger began to subside. She lowered herself to the bed across from Anju's, her gaze focused on the cracks in the floor.

"I understand how you feel, Anju," she said, slowly. "Your father...he did the same thing to me, don't you remember? He just up and left. And I waited for him, fool I was. I waited and kept loving him. But he didn't come back." She looked up at her daughter then, and her gaze was hard. Determined. "I don't want you to go through the same thing."

He's not like that. Kafei would never do that. Anju almost said it, but the words caught in her throat. She couldn't. So she nodded.

"I know, Mother. It's just..."

Her mother stood up then and put a gentle hand to her cheek. "I understand. But you need to let him go. Don't be the fool I was."

"You're...you're not a fool, Mother."

"This is probably just like the last time. When he ran off to the ranch with that-"

"I don't want to talk about that."

Anju spoke with such finality that Mother almost snapped away. But instead she stroked her daughter's cheek and returned to her bed.

"We have a lot of preparations to make for the next few days. Make sure you get plenty of rest," she said.

"I will, Mother," Anju said. "I just...have to go downstairs and take care of a few things. Clean the kitchen."

"You haven't taken care of that already?" But her tone wasn't admonishing; only tired. "Don't be too long."

Anju left the room and closed the door behind her with a sigh. The inn was silent at that time of night, save for the heavy tick-tock of the clock in the lobby. She knew she was probably late for her meeting with the boy - and she wouldn't have blamed him for leaving or ignoring the ravings of a heartbroken girl - but, when she entered the kitchen, he was waiting for her beside the stove. His fairy fluttered beside him in lazy circles.

Gratitude welled up in her chest.

"Thank you for coming," she said immediately. "I understand that you're probably busy with your own things, but... this really means a lot to me."

The boy only nodded. Anju took her own letter from her pocket and clasped it in her hands, like a security blanket. Her heart was thudding in her chest, so loud that she was sure the boy and his fairy could hear it.

"I'm sorry for troubling you so late at night, but this is about...him. I...I got a letter from...him...earlier today." She suddenly laughed, but she could feel tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "Strange, isn't it? Getting a letter from a missing person... But there's absolutely no mistaking it's from him! It's clear...to me..."

The boy was still watching her, absolutely patient, but she realized she was rambling and needed to get back on track. Anju thrust out her hand, the letter nearly crumpled in her palm.

"Please! I wrote this letter to him, and if you could...I would appreciate it so much if you put it in the postbox. When he reads this, you should be able to meet him. And please...tell him that Anju is waiting for him. And..." She paused then, her breath hitching in the back of her throat. "Tell me how he looked. I'm scared. I...I can't go."

She waited for the boy to reject her. To take his fairy and simply walk away. But he took the letter from her hand, cradling it gently in his, as if he could sense its importance. Anju's heart soared.

"Thank you...very much," she said, clasping her hands together at her front. "This means more to me than I can say."

* * *

It was nearly midnight, and it was unseasonably cold. Kafei huddled beneath one of the scraggly trees in the northern district of town, rubbing his hands together for warmth. One of the Bombers was out playing with a balloon, and the local guard was keeping watch (though, truth be told, he seemed to be dozing) at his post. Still, no one seemed to take notice of the purple-haired boy with the mask, and he was perfectly fine with that.

Tak's words that morning struck a chord. They spurred him to North Clock Town, the same place where he'd run into the thief that took his mask and the Skull Kid who changed him back into a child. The chances of seeing them again were painfully slim, but he was tired of holing himself up in the Curiosity Shop's back room, surrounded by lost and stolen items.

A commotion from the gate interrupted his thoughts. The old woman from the bomb shop was talking quietly to the guard; she seemed to have woken him from his sleep. Kafei ignored them and turned his attention back to his frigid hands.

It had been around this time when he first met the thief - a pitch black night, though it had been cloudier and close to raining. He'd walked dejectedly through the mud and the soggy grass, making his way to the Great Fairy's Fountain (though she had been split apart by the Skull Kid at that time, and he hadn't known it yet).

Someone shoved him hard in the back before he reached the fountain. And then he was facedown in the dirt, his forehead was bleeding, his arm had been wrenched, and his precious wedding mask was gone.

He'd chased after the thief, of course; though it was difficult to keep up when there was mud in his eyes and his shoes were stuck in the squelching grass, and before he knew it, the man was long gone. He hated himself for carrying the mask that day, but keeping it close was like keeping a part of Anju with him. It had given him the courage he needed to wake up and face each day in this small body.

The next time he saw the thief, though... things would be much, much different.

If he ever saw the thief again.

No. Kafei shook his head. He was going to fix this. Somehow, someway.

The old woman was passing by him then. She didn't even glance in his direction. Probably mistook him for one of the Bomber boys, still out playing despite the unreasonable hour. The one trying to pop the balloon still hadn't let up, after all.

He wasn't used to staying up this late anymore - not since the accident. He leaned back against the brick of the wall, breathing in the cold night air. If the Skull Kid hadn't gotten to him, he most likely would have spent the entirety of his evening at the milk bar with a group of friends. Though, this close to the wedding, he probably would have spent it with Anju... He wondered if the letter had gotten to her, if she'd already read it-

A loud crack filled the air. Then the thud of a body hitting the dirt. Kafei's eyes snapped open just in time to see the old woman on the ground.

"Stop! Thief!" she was saying.

Kafei's heart lurched into his chest.

There, only feet away from his scraggly little tree, was the same bald, prancing man who'd taken his mask.

Kafei jumped up without a second thought. His anger lent him the adrenaline rush he needed to chase after him.

"Stop!" he shouted, but the thief was far too fast. He scampered past the dazed guard and out into the night.

Kafei raced after him, arms and legs swinging, his breath escaping him in huge bursts. He was mere inches away from the gate when the guard suddenly threw out his spear to block the way.

"It's unsafe for children to leave-"

Kafei ignored his warning and vaulted neatly over the spear. He could hear the guard shouting after him, but by then he was already out in the fields, far enough away that the guard probably wouldn't give chase.

The thief was just ahead, running in the direction of the canyon. Kafei took another deep breath and shot after him.

"Stop!" he shouted again. "Get back here!"

The thief risked a glance over his shoulder.

He was grinning, teeth bared. And he cackled.

Kafei bit back a growl and forced himself to run just a bit faster.

The thief was frighteningly fast. He crossed the field, dodging bombchus with ease and skirting between the stone columns. Kafei found himself struggling to keep up with these shorter, stubbier legs.

He kept after the thief, but before he knew it, the man had disappeared into the darkness of the canyon. Kafei skidded to a halt at its entrance, breathing so hard that his lungs felt as though they were on fire.

When he calmed, he could hear the distant screech of the canyon birds, of the bombchus skittering about behind him. No more footfalls, no more of the thief's irritatingly high laughter. The man was gone, and Kafei knew how dangerous the canyon was after dark. Now wasn't the time to risk going in.

He couldn't follow the thief any further.

But at least now he finally knew where the man lived.


	4. Dawn of the Second Day, 48 Hours Remain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! You're probably wondering why a four year old, presumably dead story is suddenly getting an update. First off, I've added a much-needed second half to this chapter from Anju's point of view. Secondly, I wanted to let you know that I'm finally out of a several-years-long slump and am eagerly finishing up this story. It's one of my personal favorites, and one I'm quite proud of. I've wrapped up the notes so all I need to do now is write!

He was sprawled on his cot, covered in the morning's rather sudden rain and mud, his hair plastered to the sides of his haggard face. Tak never showed up - probably running late for one of his many jobs, as usual - which meant that Kafei wouldn't have a chance to ask him about the thief until later that night.

But, in the end, that was just fine with Kafei. He was still angry about the whole incident, and upset, and exhausted. He could see the thief's face in hid mind's eye, the way that infuriating man had pranced about and smiled and  _laughed_ at him as he'd run.

It was strange, really. Kafei had spent the last few weeks locked up in the storeroom and hadn't been  _too_ bothered by it. Now, however, the thought of it drove him absolutely mad. He wanted nothing more than to run back to Ikana and find that damned thief.

But there was nothing he could do for the moment. The thief had disappeared and it would be foolish to enter the canyon without a plan. It was a dangerous place, especially recently; there were rumors that it was infested with creatures more dangerous than ever before. Skull children, gibdos... Perhaps that was why the thief had chosen it as his hideout. He knew no one would dare follow him.

Kafei eventually slept, though it was uneasy and restless, filled with images of the bald thief and a horned mask and the giant moon. He saw Anju waiting for him at the Clock Tower but he never made it to her side. Couldn't. The bells suddenly tolled, and the black sky above them shattered and fell.

Kafei woke in the late afternoon with a bitter taste in his mouth and the memories of his nightmares still dancing through his mind.

A bell suddenly rang. Kafei nearly jumped from his bed, terrified before he remembered that it wasn't the Clock Tower's; it was the much smaller one that Tak had set up outside the storeroom. The blasted thing was reserved primarily for those too eager to wait until nightfall to sell their sensitive goods to the Curiosity Shop, but sometimes children rang it as well; Kafei himself had run into that problem several days before. He was ready to ignore it completely when-

"Mail!" someone called.

The postman? Why in the world would he-

_Anju got my letter. She replied. She hasn't given up on me._

Kafei donned his mask and all but ran out to the laundry pool. The postman was waiting for him on the bridge, pulling an envelope from the bag at his side. A boy was sitting on the bench nearby, but Kafei barely noticed him; for the moment, he only had eyes for that envelope in the postman's hand.

"A letter for you," the postman said, arm outstretched. Kafei took the envelope and instantly recognized Anju's boxy handwriting on the front. His heart leapt in his chest, and he tore the seal without a second thought.

"Everything is all right?" the postman asked him in a much quieter tone.

"Yes," Kafei said, never looking up. He had the letter in his hands now. They were shaking, gently.

The postman nodded once before he left to continue his route. And, for a time, Kafei was blind to the world, blind to everything but the words before him, ignoring the fact that the rain was still pelting down and soaking him to the bone.

Anju's letter was brief and hasty. She was okay (but of course he was already aware of this) and she missed him terribly. Guilt began to seep through him, but Kafei tried to push the feeling away. He was going to do what he had to. It couldn't be helped. This was all for her good and his own.

The ink on the paper was beginning to bleed with the rain. Kafei shielded it with his free hand and slowly made his way back to the door. The last paragraph of her letter mentioned that there was someone who could help them: a boy, dressed completely in green and accompanied by a tiny fairy. He was good, and he was apparently trustworthy, and he was willing to assist Kafei in his quest.

" _I know that you like to take care of things on your own,_ " she'd written, " _but I hate this. I hate not knowing if you're okay or not, or what's happening to you. And I know that you won't see me yet, but please accept his help. This is all I can do for you right now. I love you. Always. I will wait for you._ "

Kafei couldn't help but frown. A  _boy_  - and a stranger, no less - wanted to help them? Why? What could he possibly hope to gain from this, aside from a good laugh at Kafei's expense? Anju trusted this child, and usually her judgment was enough for him, but...

Kafei threw open the door and stepped back into the drafty storeroom. He was dripping wet again and the paper envelope hung limp in his hand. He was about to tear the mask from his face when he heard a noise from above.

A creak. Footsteps on the wood floor. Someone else was there, and it definitely wasn't Tak. Kafei slowly began to reach for the concealed knife at his waist as he crept back up the stairs.

Who found him? Was it one of Tak's..."customers" trying to get into the store? One of the men his mother had hired that he hadn't quite managed to shake off? Kafei slunk into his room, prepared for anything-

Except for the green-clad boy that was standing beside his cot. A light - the fairy? - hovered close to his ear.

Kafei's arm fell back to his side. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised, but he couldn't seem to keep the dumbfounded expression from his face. He was glad then that he hadn't removed his mask.

The fairy moved excitedly. "Is that him?" she whispered. The boy turned to her, exchanged a glance, and looked back to Kafei with a curious frown.

There  _was_ something peculiar about him. Was it in his eyes, so serious despite his youth? He seemed older than his years, and perhaps wiser. Kafei could almost see what Anju had.

But he was still skeptical. This was just a  _boy_ , after all. A clever and generous one to be sure, but a child nonetheless. Kafei approached him warily, but he'd abandoned the idea of drawing his knife.

He jerked his head toward the silent child. "You're him? Anju wrote about you in her letter. Green clothes, green hat... It seems you are looking for Kafei. But... I have a feeling you already know who I am, or else you wouldn't be here," he added with a strained laugh. "You can keep a secret, yes?"

The boy's hands were still at his sides, but he nodded. His fairy moved in tight circles around his head; Kafei could not see her expression, but he knew she was watching him.

"Anju trusted you," Kafei said, taking a slow breath. "I will try to trust you as well."

He reached up and pulled the mask from his face.

He expected surprise. Horror, perhaps, when the boy saw the childlike face of the man he was supposed to find. But instead he was greeted with a simple curiosity - from the boy, at least.

"The Kafei we're looking for is an adult! When I look at you, I only see a child," the fairy said, wings twitching. "Are you someone else?"

"No. I am Kafei. I was...changed. Forced into this form by an imp wearing a mask. But that's not why I'm hiding," he said before the fairy could interrupt. "I went to visit the Great Fairy after this happened. I thought she could help. But I was attacked by a man - a grinning, prancing idiot - and he stole something important from me. A wedding ceremony mask-"

The fairy snorted. "You were just careless. You remind me of my partner."

Kafei bristled, hands clenching into tight fists. The boy didn't seem bothered by her words; perhaps he was used to them.

"I was quite happy before this all happened," Kafei said instead. "I was going to be married to a woman I loved. My family was content. The festival was just around the corner. But I was targeted by that thief because of what I was turned into."

"Oh my. I pity you," the fairy said in a voice that offered no pity at all.

"I know Anju is worried. My parents as well. But I can't see them until I have my wedding mask. I promised her - I promised Anju that I would bring it with me on the day of our wedding. And it's coming up so fast..."

_And I've spent all of this time brooding and feeling sorry for myself,_ he thought with a stab of self-pity.

"Do you think you could do something for me? For Anju?" he asked, reaching for the cord around his neck. "Give this pendant to her. She'll know what it means."

He drew the necklace out and handed it to the boy, who took it with careful hands. It was a beautiful piece, wrought of gold metal and blue gems; he'd picked them knowing that they would go wonderfully with his new bride's eyes, and he'd once planned to give it to her as a present before the ceremony.

"Keep everything that we've talked about a secret," he said to the boy, who held the pendant close to his chest. "And please give that to her as soon as possible."

The boy nodded once more and left with fairy in tow. Kafei could have sworn that the little sprite had paused and glanced at him one more time before they disappeared; whether she was sneering, or watching him with genuine pity, he would never know.

He started to make his way back to the cot when he noticed that Anju's letter was still in his hand. It was crumpled by now, almost unintelligible after its time being soaked by the rain; but Kafei looked it over again, and again, until he had the symbols memorized.

She'd only wanted to help him. She missed him. She loved him. And, most importantly, she hadn't given up on him. Not after everything he'd put her through.

_I will wait for you_ , she'd written. Would she, though? He could only hope...

He set the waterlogged paper on his desk and tried not to dwell on it. Tak's business would be opening in a few hours and the thief would be making his return soon, if Kafei's guess was correct. He had new goods now - that poor old woman's bomb supply - and he would be eager to sell them.

Kafei moved a few of the extra boxes around until he could stand on them, just high enough to see through one of the many cracks in the wall. The front room of the Curiosity Shop was just beyond, and Tak's large collection of ill-gotten goods were colored orange and red by the fading evening light.

Kafei positioned himself until he was comfortable.

He had all night, after all.

* * *

 

Anju's mother was surprised when her daughter announced that she would rather work than take her day off.

"It's raining anyway," Anju told her, hands clasped firmly at her front. "There's not much else I could do. I want to stay busy."

"Are you sure? You've been going nonstop this week. I know you're stressed, but..."

"It's good for me, Mother. It keeps me from thinking about...everything."

Mother's gaze softened when she said that. She put a hand on Anju's shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"I understand, dear. I'll be in our room – please let me know if you need a break, okay?"

"I will."

"And don't forget to start packing tonight. We want to be ready in case the mayor decides to evacuate.  _If_ he ever makes a decision," her mother said with a derisive snort. "The poor man will be in his office debating with the town guard right through the moon's fall if he isn't careful."

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Mother. Try not to think about it."

"I won't. And you don't think too hard on Kafei's disappearance either, okay? We'll talk about everything tonight."

Anju didn't want to tell her mother the truth, even though she was absolutely bursting to tell  _someone_ , anyone, that she received a letter from Kafei. He was okay! And if she was lucky, the boy in green would find him and deliver her response.

She knew she should tell Madame Aroma that her son was alive and well (and, with luck, still in Clock Town), especially since she'd gone to the trouble of getting all of those masks made in Kafei's image. But something made her want to hold the secret close, to keep it to herself. 

And her own mother... Well, she knew how that conversation would go if she brought his letter up again. It was best to let it be for now.

And so Anju busied herself about the inn. She swept the lobby (again), cleaned up the kitchen – even tried to make her grandmother a good lunch, which, predictably, she completely ignored in favor of the old book on her lap. Anju wound up finishing off the leftovers while she tidied up the front desk.

Still, without any incoming guests to keep her busy, Anju couldn't stop her mind from racing. Couldn't stop it from presenting her with the worst possible scenarios for her fiancé's disappearance. What if the boy in green never delivered her letter? What if Kafei thought she'd abandoned all of hope ever seeing him again? Or worse, what if he thought she  _never_ wanted to see him again?

She was close to crying again when the front door opened. 

"Hello," she said, quickly brushing the tears from her eyes. "Welcome to the Stock Pot Inn. I'm sorry, but we don't have any rooms ava-"

Anju stopped when she saw the green-clothed boy standing in front of her. The poor child was absolutely soaked to the bone from the day's sudden rainstorm, though if it bothered him, it didn't show in his serious expression.

"Oh," she said, gathering herself. "Did...did you meet him?" 

For a moment, she was afraid he would shake his head no and leave her no better than

she was a few moments before.

But, miraculously, the boy reached into a pocket and retrieved what looked like a pendant. 

A very familiar pendant, with its blue gems and gold finishing. He placed it on the counter and nudged it in her direction.

Anju touched it with the very tips of her fingers.

It was real.

"Ah! It's from Kafei. Th... Th... Thank you...very much!"

She lifted it in her hands, taking so much comfort in the gentle weight of it. She'd seen this around Kafei's neck so many times. She knew how precious it was to him; and if he was giving this up to her, it had to mean something.

Her heart lifted. She knew exactly what she needed to do.

"I have decided to wait for him," she told the boy, who was still waiting patiently on the other side of the desk. "I've made my promise. I'm fine with this. I believe in him."

The boy's lips curved upward in a grin. Anju couldn't help but return it, albeit nervously.

Doing this meant that she wouldn't be joining her mother and grandmother when they escaped Clock Town. She would be here if – when – the moon eventually crashed into their peaceful little town.

Doing this meant that she was putting her full and absolute trust in Kafei.

Anju took the pendant and gripped it tight against her chest. She imagined that it was still warm from Kafei's touch, that he had whispered her name to it and filled it with his good intentions.

Everything was going to be okay. Anju was feeling surer of this by the minute.


	5. Night of the Second Day, 36 Hours Remain

Anju found Mother bustling about their room after she'd locked up the inn and given her grandmother dinner for the night. Suitcases and bags were strewn across both beds, each half-filled with a mix of clothing and personal items. Her mother was folding one of Anju's favorite dresses when she walked in and closed the door. 

Mother barely looked up from her work. "How did everything go? I kept waiting for you to come get me." 

"It was fine. Hardly anyone came in today. Just the troupe in the room down the hall." 

"I'm not surprised. Tourists aren't coming into town  – at least that's what I've heard. And the Indigo-Gos aren't going to perform anymore, so there goes one of the carnival's main attractions." 

"They aren't?" 

"No. But not because of the moon – their lead singer can't sing anymore. What a pity. At least the Zora are safe out in the bay. They don't have to worry about all this awful business."   

Anju nodded absently, fingering the pendant she'd stowed away in her dress pocket. Just touching it calmed her. 

"So." She gestured briefly at the mess Mother was making. "What is all this?" 

"Have a seat, darling." 

Mother's tone made her so nervous that Anju sat without thinking. Mother seated herself on the bed opposite and took a long, sighing breath. 

"Okay, Anju, we're leaving in the evening for the ranch. Cremia will take us in. She's your best friend, right?" 

"Yes, but... I heard a boulder was blocking the entrance to the ranch. Have they cleared it?" 

"Yes. You'll see Cremia tonight like always, won't you? Could you ask her if she'll take the three of us in?" 

"Of course, Mother, but this is... I don't know. It's so sudden," Anju said – though she remembered what the moon looked like nowadays. It loomed closer and closer, leering and cold and so dangerous. It was a surprise the thing hadn't fallen already. 

Mother was standing back up then, rearranging the clothes and smoothing out their wrinkles. Her expression was distracted, almost dreamy. 

"I wonder if Kafei is really at Cremia's place," she said, suddenly, sending a jolt down Anju's spine.   

"If Kafei is there," her mother continued, "your mother will give him a smack. Besides, think about Cremia. She needs strength from a partner and business support from Madame Aroma. If Kafei really has run off with Cremia, she'll get both." 

Mother looked over her shoulder at Anju, who had gone deathly still. Tears brimmed in the corners of her daughter's eyes and her hands were clenched in her lap. Anju stared at her with something like betrayal.  

How could she say things like this only two days before her wedding? Anju always knew that her mother wasn't overly fond of Kafei -- especially after the first time he'd run off to Romani Ranch – but... This was too harsh, even for her. Anju pushed the heels of her hands against her eyes and tried not to cry again. 

 Mother's voice was so soft when she spoke again. "Please don't be sad. How happy could you possibly be...marrying a man who runs off when he's about to be married? It would make your life unhappy...just like your mother's." 

"But in the letter it said he would definitely come back," Anju said, choking each word past the lump in her throat. "I know you're upset with him, but he promised me... He'll keep his promise. I know he will. He'll come back-" 

"Come back to  _what_? Won't this town be crushed beneath the moon the morning after tomorrow? Forget about that letter. For now, just try to survive. Everything else will follow..." 

Mother set her clothing aside and put both hands on Anju's shoulders. She squeezed once and pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. 

"Please, darling, don't make the same mistake I did. I waited so long for your father to come home and I suffered for it. I don't want to see you suffer either," she whispered.  

Mother's words were hard and cruel. They hurt. But Anju could remember those years after her father left so clearly; her mother staying up late in the lobby, waiting for a knock at the door that would never come. Her mother setting a place at the table for a fourth person. Her mother leaving his half of the closet untouched. Her mother keeping the cafeteria portion of the inn open for so long, even though she absolutely hated to cook. 

Her mother was only trying to protect her from the same fate. 

Anju let her hands fall to her side.  

She felt the pendant there, safe and heavy in her pocket.  

_He will come back._  

"Yes...Mother. Thank you," she said after a pause.  

Mother patted her on the cheek. "Go get yourself cleaned up, darling. And don't forget 

to ask Cremia if we can stay with her for a while. Just until things calm down here in town." 

"I know, Mother. I will." 

The day's storm had stopped by the time Anju left the inn, leaving behind the occasional puddle and the smell of wet brick. Rainwater dripped from the eaves. The sky overhead was clear and crisp – all the better to see that damned moon glaring down at her. 

If she didn't look up, she could pretend it was another normal night before the carnival...minus the bustle of tourists. Usually they and the townsfolk would be out and about, even past midnight, preparing their masks and helping decorate. 

The local milk bar was a short walk from the inn. Anju donned her Romani's Mask and knocked on the door. 

A panel slid open. Its occupant paused only for a second before chuckling. 

"Please come in, Miss Anju," they said as the door creaked open. Mr. Barten was there to greet her.  

"You know you don't have to wear that anymore," he said, nodding to her mask (though it was more of a hat, really – her face was exposed, but it wrapped around her head) as they descended the stairs to the bar below. "I know you're old enough to be here." 

"I know. I like wearing it, though. It makes me feel like I'm really in the club." 

Mr. Barten laughed again. His voice was as comforting as the Chateau Romani he served.  

 He lowered his voice when he spoke again. "How goes the search for Kafei, if you don't mind my asking? Madame Aroma hasn't stopped by to update me." 

"It's..." 

Anju paused. How much was she going to reveal to him? She'd known Mr. Barten for years – the Latte Milk Bar had been a staple of the town, even before she was old enough to visit – but if she wasn't even going to tell her own mother that she was going to wait for her missing fiancé... 

In the end, Mr. Barten answered for her. "About the same?"  

"Yes." 

"I'm sorry to hear it. I'll raise a toast just the same, for good luck." 

"Thank you. I appreciate it." 

The atmosphere of Latte wasn't as lively as Anju was used to; only a few people sat at the bar, and one of them – she recognized him as the leader of the troupe that was renting out their largest room – looked absolutely miserable. A short, round Zora was standing beside the stage, jotting notes on a piece of paper.  

No one was speaking. There was no joyful laughter, or music, or the clink of so many glasses against the countertop. The whole room felt unusually sad and almost uninviting. 

"Anju!" 

She looked up. A familiar red-headed woman was at the end of the bar opposite the troupe leader, who was wiping the milk from his moustache. The redhead all but flew out of her seat to hug Anju. 

"I know it's only been a week, but I've missed you!" Cremia said. Anju disentangled herself from her best friend's embrace and managed a smile.  

"I've missed you too. When did they move the boulder that was blocking the ranch?" 

"Just yesterday morning. A Goron brought a powder keg that did the trick." 

"A Goron? All the way out there?" 

"Yeah. Must've been in town for the festival." Cremia shrugged. "Anyway, I already ordered you a drink – Chateau Romani, nice and fresh from the ranch. I figured you could use something good after everything that's going on." 

Anju took a seat beside Cremia at the bar and wrapped her hands around the glass – nice and warm, just the way she liked it. She took a sip and sighed. 

"Tastes great, huh? I just delivered a new batch of milk tonight," Cremia said, raising her own glass. "Things at the ranch have been so crazy... A few cows went missing and bandits keep attacking my wagon when I try to leave." 

"That's awful," Anju agreed with a frown. "That's still happening?" 

Cremia took a swig of her milk. "Yep. I had some help tonight, though -- a new kid's been hanging around the ranch, helping Romani and such. We taught those bandits a lesson they won't soon forget." 

"That's good." 

"Also," she said, "Mr. Barten wasn't able to tell me, and I'm sure you're sick of this question, but... How's everything with Kafei?" 

Anju's spirits fell. 

"He isn't back yet." 

"That's strange. Your wedding is only, what? Little more than a day away now. He should be back by now..." 

Anju tried to nod, but all she could hear were her mother's words in her head.  

_Besides, think about_ _Cremia_ _. She needs strength from a partner and business support from Madame Aroma. If_ _Kafei_ _really has run off with_ _Cremia_ _, she'll get b_ _ot_ _h._  

She cast a sidelong glance in her friend's direction. Cremia was signaling for a refill. Her expression was open, cheerful; no different than it had ever been. 

_But the letter,_ one part of her mind told her. 

_What if it was a lie so he wouldn't make you feel bad?_  the other part asserted. 

"Can I ask you a question?" Anju asked. Her voice trembled gently. 

"Yeah, shoot." 

"Has Kafei come to see you since he disappeared?" 

Cremia nearly spit the mouthful of milk she'd just swallowed. "What? Of course not! I would've sent him straight back to you if he had!" 

"You're sure he isn't hiding out somewhere?" 

"Absolutely," Cremia assured her. "Anju, do you not trust me? Do you think I'm stowing him away at the ranch or something?" 

"No, I mean... I don't know." 

Cremia raised an eyebrow. "Because that's what it sounds like." 

"I was just-" 

"Did your mother put that idea in your head?" 

The rest of Anju's sentence died on her tongue. She shifted uneasily on her stool.  

"This isn't like last time," Cremia said, her voice so low that Anju had to move closer to hear her. "We're not teenagers anymore. You can count on Kafei. Trust me." 

The milk felt like it was souring in Anju's stomach. She pushed her glass aside, but she didn't look up at Cremia again. If she did, it would send her back to the summer just after her sixteenth birthday. 

When Kafei left her the first time and took refuge at Romani Ranch.  

It felt so long ago. Anju couldn't even remember what they'd argued about, or what made him break up with her in the first place. But the next morning he was gone, and a day later she heard that he was staying with Cremia. 

Dotour and Aroma were furious. Scandalized. It caused a buzz for weeks even after he returned. 

And Anju, ever hopeful and still so in love, waited for him. He eventually came back to the Stock Pot Inn with his head lowered and shoulders slumped. 

"I'm so sorry," he told her, taking both of her shaking hands in his. "I'm so sorry. You don't deserve that. I love you – it shouldn't have taken a few days of sleeping in a smelly hayloft to realize that." 

He laughed, but it was a pained, sorrowful sound. He still hadn't looked up and met her eyes. 

Anju nodded slowly. "I still love you too. But...you hurt me. A lot." 

"I know. I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to see me again." 

"Of course I do." She reached into her pocket and pulled something out: a beautiful pendant, blue stones wrapped with gold that she'd bought from the Curiosity Shop.  

"I was going to give this to you before you left. For our anniversary," she said, blushing. "I don't know if you even like jewelry or things like this, but I-" 

"It's perfect," he said, silencing her with a kiss. "Every time I wear it, I'll think of you." 

Anju leaned forward on her stool. That pendant was sitting in her pocket again now, a reminder of Kafei's promise to return.  

Cremia put a hand on Anju's shoulder. "I promise he isn't there. You have my word. You know I'm going to be in the front row at your wedding, cheering for you both all day." 

Anju tilted her head and looked her friend in the eyes. Cremia's gaze was so gentle, so reassuring.  

"Thank you. I'm so sorry," Anju said, her voice but a whisper. "That was...stupid of me." 

"You're stressed out and worried. You have a lot going on. I don't blame you." 

Anju reached up to squeeze her friend's hand. "You're too good to me. I don't deserve it." 

"Now that  _has_  to be the Chataeu Romani talking," Cremia said, laughing. "Come on. Drink up and relax." 

* * *

Kafei's evening was surprisingly quiet.  

The rain stopped around the time the sun set, leaving him only with the sounds of Tak bustling around in the Curiosity Shop's front room while he set up for the night. The relative silence gave Kafei time to set to work on a letter he should have written his mother ages ago; it wasn’t fair that he'd left her in the dark for so long. Especially now that he wasn't sure if his wedding mask would show up or not... 

He shook his head to dispel the thought. He had to stay hopeful. In little more than a day, he and Anju would be married whether the moon fell or not. He was sure of it. 

Kafei wrote his mother's name on the front of the envelope and set it beside his Keaton Mask. After meeting with the boy in green, he hadn't felt as compelled to wear it. The only reason he was leaving the shop was if the thief came, and by now it was too dark outside for anyone to notice him. 

He stopped. Heard muffled voices coming from the front room. It sounded like Tak was arguing with someone. 

Kafei tiptoed to the stack of crates just beneath a mask that hid a peephole into the Curiosity Shop. He lifted the mask and looked through. 

The thief was there. Right  _there_ , behind Tak's counter with that disgustingly smug grin on his face.  

It took everything in Kafei's power not to claw his way through the peephole and grab that thief by his scrawny throat. He pressed himself against the wall, strained to hear everything Tak and the thief were saying to each other. Both were agitated, if their body language was anything to go by. 

"One hundred," Tak said.  

"Don't be such a rupee pincher, you miser. Two hundred!" the thief insisted. He wasn't carrying his massive bag, so his arms were crossed over his chest and his foot was tapping against the ground.  

Tak snorted and nudged something across his counter. It looked like a hide satchel. 

"Well, why don't I just offer you even less?" he asked, eyebrow raised. "And y'know, this is the Bomb Shop's! How 'bout if I tell 'em all about you?" 

The thief deflated. "All right, fine. I'll take it, but you're guilty, too!" 

"Don't be a fool! A seller of stolen goods is just a middleman who's trying to provide his customers with good product. Look, I know nothing. If it comes to me, I buy it! I'm a charitable organization that helps people in need!" 

"I...I understand. Then the total is..." 

"It's fifty now. So there ya go." 

"What! You said a hundred..." 

"Ohhh... So you don't want me to take it off your hands..." 

"W-W-Wait! It's a deal! It's a deal!" The thief pushed the satchel back into Tak's open hands. "Fifty is fine! It's perfect." 

Tak shook his head as he counted out the rupees. "That's what you get for callin' me a miser..." 

Kafei stepped down from the crate, all but shaking from excitement and fear. He had to make it to West Clock Town before the thief scampered back off to Ikana again. 

And he was prepared this time, too; he reached into one of the boxes and withdrew the rope he'd taken from Tak's Trading Post wares. This would help him climb up the canyon wall. After that, all he'd have to do was avoid the monsters... Easier said than done, but he  _had_  to get his mask back.  

Clock Town was wet and still. Kafei crept past the carpenters in the main square (though they were too busy to notice a purple-haired child, anyway). The thief was just leaving the Curiosity Shop was Kafei rounded the corner into the west district; and with the thief sulking as he was, all Kafei had to do was creep amongst the flowerbeds to avoid being noticed.  

Kafei felt he would burst with excitement. His wedding mask was so close now! He was so caught up in the moment that he completely forgot about the soldier standing at the town gates until they were nearly face-to-face. 

And Kafei wasn't wearing his mask anymore. 

He swallowed back the bile that was slowly creeping up his throat. 

The soldier looked down at him with something like confusion. "Hey kid, you lost? What are you doing outside this late? Go back to your parents. I'm sure they're worried about you." 

Kafei looked around the guard's legs. The spring was coming back to the thief's steps – it wouldn't be long before he disappeared into the night and Kafei lost him again. 

"I'm fine," Kafei insisted. "I look...uh, young for my age. I just wanted to get some air." 

"Look, I can't let you pass. There are all sorts of creatures out there and you don't have a weapon." 

"I'm quick on my feet. I'll be fine." 

"Kid, I-" He squinted, tilted his head to one side. "That's strange. You remind me of someone... You look _real_  familiar." 

Kafei muttered a curse under his breath. He didn't have time for this! He lowered his head and charged forward while the soldier was still thinking. 

"Hey, wait a second! Are you K-" 

The soldier threw out his spear to block his way. Kafei slipped beneath it and kept running. 

Great Bay was just beyond, but Kafei already knew the thief wouldn't be going in that direction – his next stop had to be Ikana. Kafei ran in that direction, away from the soldier (who hadn't quite left his post, but was yelling in Kafei's general direction), and toward the canyon. He found his quarry before long. 

His thief was already passing the columns near the entrance to the canyon. Kafei slipped behind the first one, careful to avoid the bombchus that were running to and fro. One blast from the bombs on their tails and not only would he be hurt, but it would alert the thief as well. 

Kafei wasn't nervous though. He had his rope. He had the thief in his sights. 

And soon – so soon, he could already feel its smooth surface back in his hands – he would have his wedding mask as well. 

He slid towards the next column, silent as a whisper. And the next. 

The canyon loomed before him, dark and imposing in the night. The thief was just ahead.  

Kafei followed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe the bartender at Latte canonically has a name but the Curiosity Shop guy is just "Man Who Runs the Curiosity Shop" or something like that LOL


	6. Dawn of the Final Day, 24 Hours Remain

Anju woke the next morning to find that the Gorman Troupe's room was completely deserted. All that was left was a satchel containing the exact amount of rupees needed to pay for their stay. The room itself wasn't a terrible mess; the beds needed to be washed and made, but Anju busied herself by sweeping up the floor. She was afraid she'd die of worry if she didn't keep herself moving from one task to the next.

"Why are you bothering with that? We're going to leave for Romani Ranch later tonight," Anju's mother said when she found her daughter tidying the room. She took the broom from her hands and set it aside. "Come with me. You haven't finished packing your things."

"I still need to make Grandmother's lunch-"

"Don't worry about it. Maybe we can find a place that's still open after we've gotten our things together. Someone's bound to be staying behind, right? We can eat at one of our favorite restaurants one last time before we go. What do you say?"

Anju bit her lip. She  _had_ to tell Mother. Had to stand up for herself.

"Mother," she started, her voice trembling, "I'm... I'm not going to the ranch."

Her mother's brow furrowed. She was quiet for a moment. Her mouth opened, closed, opened again – but no sound came out. Not right away.

"You're..." She shook her head. "What do you mean, you're not going to the ranch?"

"I'm going to stay here."

"But why? Anju, the moon is going to fall. Have you looked out the window today? Have you seen how close it's gotten?"

Anju did as soon as she woke up – and if she was being completely honest with herself, she was utterly terrified. The moon was so close now that it looked as though she could reach out and touch it. Just the thought of it made her sick to her stomach.

Oh, how she wished this was easier.

"Yes, and I'm going to stay here. At the inn."

"You can't be serious. Why in the world..."

Her mother trailed off. Her eyes hardened and her lips curved into a frown.

"You're going to keep waiting for him, aren't you."

Anju nodded unevenly.

Her mother took her by the shoulders and started to shake her.

"What are you  _thinking_? Are you thinking at _all_? You can't throw your life away for a man who hasn't even been here for you!"

Anju was glad now that the troupe had already left – her mother was all but screaming at the top of her lungs. She was sure the girl in the game shop across the way could hear them.

"Have I taught you nothing, Anju? Look at what happened to me, waiting for Tortus all those years. Years of  _nothing_ , not even a letter. We don't even know if he's alive or dead. We could have left this inn and done something so much better with our lives."

Anju pulled out of Mother's grasp.

"I know," she said. "You've told me this before. But Kafei isn't like that – he sent me a letter, and-"

"So  _what_?" Mother spat the word like poison. "To tell you to keep waiting for him? To trust him? If he loved you as much as you think he does, then he'd come out of hiding and speak to you face-to-face. You deserve so much better than he's giving you."

"He  _does_ love me. And I do trust him, even if you don't."

Anju's mother didn't respond right away. Her chest was heaving and her auburn hair was starting to come loose from her bun. Anju wasn't feeling much better; tears of frustration were brimming at the corners of her eyes. She wiped them away fiercely, willing her body to be as strong as she hoped she sounded.

"I know you've never liked him. Or Madame Aroma or Mayor Dotour. But  _I_ love him. I trust him. He's coming back to me, just like he promised he would. I'm going to wait here for him."

Anju's mother deflated. "I know you will," she said, her voice quiet. "I just... All I want is for you to be  _happy_. I want you to be safe. I don't want to lose you tonight... I really don't."

"Everything... Everything will turn out fine-"

Mother waved her away. "It won't, and you know it. The moon's going to fall and Clock Town will be nothing but a pile of dust."

"Even if that's true...it doesn't matter. He'll be with me. We'll face it together."

Mother was hanging her head. It was hard to see; Anju was so used to her mother being headstrong, able to confront every problem life threw in her direction. Now she looked...defeated. Like she'd given up.

Anju put her hands in her mother's.

"I love you," she said. "I'm scared. But I'm going to wait for him."

"I know you will. I thought you'd taken more after your father, but it looks like you inherited a little of my stubborn streak," Mother said, finally lifting her head to look her daughter in the eyes. She was crying now, and the sight of it broke Anju's heart.

"Mother, I'm-"

Her mother held up a hand to silence her. Anju, so used to absolute obedience, obeyed without thinking.

"Go ahead and make your grandmother's lunch," Mother said. She was carefully patting her hair back into place and smoothing out the front of her cardigan. "We'll be leaving before the sun sets and she'll need something to keep her strength up."

Her mother turned briskly on her heel and started to leave. Her eyes were still red, but her tears were completely gone.

Anju held her hand out. "Mother-"

"I have a lot to do. You can go back to sweeping."

* * *

 

Kafei's arms ached.

Climbing up the first of Ikana's canyon walls proved more difficult than he ever could have imagined. The rope was barely sufficient; it held his weight, but pulling that weight up was another beast entirely. Kafei found himself stopping halfway through the climb to wonder if there was an easier way.

The thief made it to the top just fine; Kafei watched him in silence before making the journey himself. The bastard made it look so  _easy_ , too.

The ascent took longer than he was expecting, and Kafei flopped down to catch his breath. He knew he should continue giving chase as soon as he reached the top - he picked himself up from the dusty ground and moved forward, ever cautious, watching for movement. It was still dark, but the first hints of daylight were beginning to creep over the edges of the horizon.

"Yee-hee-hee. That's the first time in a while I've seen someone dedicated enough to  _climb_  into Ikana."

Kafei nearly fell back down.

"Who's there?" he demanded – and suddenly saw the man next to him.

He was seated on the edge of the cliff, bare feet swinging back and forth. The man's face was covered by a tattered but surprisingly vivid purple cloak, but Kafei could _...feel_ his eyes, glowing red in the depths of his cloak, staring back at him. He wanted to run away, but his feet were rooted to the spot _._

"It's just me," the man said, tapping his gnarled cane against the dirt. "I am always here. It's  _you_ who is intruding."

"I've come to find someone who stole something of mine."

"Who, that thief?" The cloaked man make a clicking noise with (Kafei assumed) his tongue. "Did Sakon steal something from you? No one's bothered to follow him here before. Yee-hee-hee!"

"He took something precious from me. I need to get it back before nightfall."

"Ah. It doesn't matter – you shouldn't be here. You have no right."

Kafei stomped his foot, not caring for the moment that he probably looked even more ridiculously childish than before.

"I've come too far," he said. "And I'm not going back to Clock Town until I have my mask!"

The cloaked man was silent for a moment. He reached up and tapped a finger to where his chin should have been.

"This mask must be very important to you."

"It is."

"Ikana Canyon is a dark and dangerous place. They built those fences you climbed past for a reason."

"I know. I've heard the stories about this place," Kafei said. His father was the one who read them to him from an old book that one of his childhood teachers gave him; the tales of Ikana's old kingdom were tragic and horrifying. They were meant to keep curious children – much like Kafei – from wandering into its borders.

Kafei always prided himself on the fact that few things scared him. But the stories of Ikana always sent a shiver up his spine. He had no desire to see the old kingdom for himself.

But here he was, and there was no turning back now.

The man seemed to sense this in his words. He spun the cane between his fingers and regarded Kafei with something like curiosity.

"The spirits here have grown restless. They may come after you."

"I won't be here for long. That thief... Sakon, you said his name was? If he can survive here, so can I."

A rasping sound – a laugh? - emanated from the cloak's depths. "Yee-hee-hee! Sakon barely survives. He's only here because he knows no one will bother him. Except you, I suppose. Very well. I can only warn you about the darkness in this canyon – I can't stop you from facing it. Now, go."

Kafei swallowed past the lump that was forming in his throat. He was beginning to wish that Sakon had taken something less important than his wedding mask... His wallet, perhaps. He could have let that go.

"Well?" The old man tapped him with his cane. "Go on! Your thief lives below the canyon just ahead. Try following the river."

"I... Okay," was all Kafei could say.

The way forward was simple; high walls framed a path leading up to the foot of the canyon. A few boulders - the remnants of a recent landslide, he assumed – lay scattered across the road. All was quiet, save for the distant caw of a bird.

It was so easy... But Kafei's body felt so heavy. A sense of dread filled him, consumed him. Every instinct screamed at him to turn around and go home. This place felt just as dangerous as the stories told.

Kafei forced himself to move, one step at a time.

He was a short ways up the road when he stopped and turned back to the cloaked man.

"The thief, Sakon, does he-"

But the man was gone.

Kafei exhaled sharply and started to run.

He dodged the rocks and unfinished fences along the path. It looked as though someone had tried to block the way to Ikana Canyon completely at some point, but gave up after building a few halfhearted barriers. Kafei didn't have to wonder what made their builder quit – he found out when one of the boulders suddenly sat up and... _stared_ at him.

Kafei stumbled backward. The creature made a grunting noise and rolled forward. Kafei jumped out of the way before it could hit him – but the thing stopped, turned, and came at him a second time.

He ran, stumbling over rocks and other debris along the path. More of the creatures pulled themselves from the earth, groaning and growling. One missed Kafei by inches and slammed into the wall nearby – where it promptly exploded.

The blast threw Kafei several feet through the air before he hit the ground with a startled "Oof!" Several of the other creatures exploded as well, filling the air with the scent of gunpowder and dirt. Kafei coughed violently.

When the sounds around him finally died down, Kafei stood, moving cautiously in case any of the monsters were still about. But the canyon was quiet; the dust had settled and nothing was moving.

Kafei took a long, slow breath and brushed the dirt from his face. He had (sort of) prepared himself for ghosts and spirits – not exploding rock-monsters.

How did Sakon deal with this every day? He must have had some method for dealing with the beasts around Ikana... Or else he was just as crazy as he looked.

At this point, Kafei was betting more on the latter.

He gathered himself and continued up the road. He could see the high canyon (if he remembered correctly, the stories his father told him said that the fabled village of Ikana rested at the top of the canyon – how in the world did people get up and down from that thing?) and river just ahead, glowing red in the morning light; the sight was just as strangely beautiful as it was haunting. The sense of foreboding he had felt earlier was even stronger now.

Kafei dipped his hands in the river and used its cool water to wash his face. He hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours, and it was starting to wear on him; a headache was forming just over his right eye and his arms felt shaky.

Kafei splashed himself again. He needed to stay awake. He could sleep when he had his wedding mask safe in his hands again.

 _Follow the river._ That was what the creepy old man told him. Kafei didn't want to trust the man... But what other option did he have? There's no way Sakon was getting up the canyon and into the village.

Kafei sighed quietly, wiped at his face with his too-long sleeves, and – ignoring every instinct that told him to leave – followed the river downstream.


End file.
